CUPE: Compromises Fall on Deaf Ears

CARLETON PLACE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 11, 2009) - The first discussions in five weeks between striking Canadian Union of Public Employees members and Community Living Association Lanark County lead only to frustration.

"We came to the table to try and reach a fair deal, to find a way to resolve the strike" said Doreen Beath, CUPE National Representative Tuesday following an exploratory meeting facilitated by provincial mediators.

"We tried to be creative. We brought many different scenarios to the table. But the employer did not table one written response all day," Beath said.

"We pushed the limits to try and find a way to resolve the situation - to no avail."

Ninety-two members of CUPE 1521-02 have been on strike since July 4. These women and men provide the necessary supports to over 100 people with developmental disabilities in our community.

Since the start of the legal strike, the employer has chosen to employ a third party consultant to manage replacement workers, at a cost of at least five times that of the dedicated CUPE 1521.02 members. And CUPE has been informed by a replacement worker they were signed onto a 12 week contract.

"Clearly this employer is intent on maintaining this strike, instead of resolving it," Beath said.